What If
by cheerleeder
Summary: This is a one-shot based on the song “What if” by Ashley Tisdale. Max was separated from the rest of her flock after she broke up with Fang, seeing him *cough* with another girl. He never realized how much she was hurt.


This is a one-shot based on the song "What if" by Ashley Tisdale. Max was separated from the rest of her flock after she broke up with Fang, seeing him *cough* with another girl. He never realized how much she was hurt. This is based about a year after being separated.

"Max?" Someone called from behind her. She turned around to see Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, and Fang all running trying to catch up with her. Max was at the mall shopping when she saw her boyfriend, Michael, around the corner. When she saw the flock, she immediately turned defensive. Shortly after they had saved the world, Fang had broken up with her.

That breakup, as predicted, caused the flock to be torn apart. But Max had no idea how torn up the flock had been and still was, a year and a half later. Because when Fang did that to her Max couldn't handle leading the flock. They were always arguing, and she saw how it hurt the younger kids. So about a week after they stopped dating max left. She didn't worry about explaining why to anyone-her reasons were obvious. It had killed her, when fang confessed that he had been cheating on her. She had loved him with all she had. And now, seeing him in her rightful leadership position, it hurt even more than the night she left. She turned away and continued toward Michael.  
As she drew closer, though, she noticed that Michael wasn't with his normal friends. He was with a girl; the cheer captain at their high school. Max recognized her almost as quickly as she recognized the scene in front of her. Determined not to break down in front of him or the bitch he was now kissing, she walked up in back of him and said with such force, "Mike," That they both jumped. He turned around slowly enough to rake in her pissed expression before being slapped hard in the face, instantly drawing blood.

"Max-" She cut him off with a motion of her hand. "Not now. I need to talk to you in private." He stood up, nodded to the girl he was *ahem* sitting with, and then followed Max to an outside table, where she refused to sit. The flock followed from a distance, not wanting to interfere but also not wanting to loose her, and still curious to see how Max handled herself. She hardly noticed the audience sitting a few tables away, but instead glared at Michael for several minutes before he broke the silence. "I'm so sorry, Max. I didn't want it to happen like this. I just-". But he wasn't able to finish, because with that Max decided that she'd heard enough.  
"Shut up!" She screamed, "You have no idea what you're talking about! I have done this way too many times." "Wait, only once before, right Max?" Iggy couldn't help to interject. "Shut up, Iggy." She said, temporarily distracted, "and yes, once is more than enough times to have your heart broken." Fang looked even paler than before, realizing what she meant by what she said. "I'm done, Michael. I am sick and tired of all your games."

He opened his mouth to speak, but Max stopped him, looking close to tears. "Go." She whispered, "I'm not going to be the one who leaves this time. Just. Go." Michael hesitated, not sure if he would get hurt if he stayed any longer, before finally nodding and walking away. Max, forgetting that her abandoned family was still watching with a sick sense if de ja voo, broke down sobbing. She fell to her knees; head in her hands, crying as if someone had died. And in a way, she did. Because as he watched in agonizing silence, Fang realized just how much he had hurt Maximum Ride.

As Gazzy, Iggy, Angel, and Nudge watched not knowing what to do; they learned that even the best don't have it all. That sometimes, you just can't be perfect. And in that same moment, when Nudge finally worked up the courage to kneel beside Max and comfort her, rubbing her back and mumbling aimlessly, Max became aware of her surroundings, and looked up. Fang was staring at her still, unbelievingly that she would actually break down like that in front of an audience, and he saw every emotion: betrayal, hatred, longing, lonesome, defeat, and hurt, play across her face as she spoke with a still quivering voice: "what if I need you?"  
The end

Review, please. That was my first one-shot, and I felt compelled to write it based on a song. I found it easy to relate the lyrics to Maximum Ride. Let me know what you think!

KTHNXBYE,

-Bergatron


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